BLOG 495

BLOG 495

This week I decided that I needed to make a birthday present and card for a young friend who was having her 40^th birthday under lockdown conditions. It’s such a shame she won’t be able to do all the things that were planned, by her family and with her family. That said, it still makes it a rather special birthday because the people involved will make an effort in other ways and it will certainly be memorable for that reason! The only place I have shopped in the last 8 weeks is Tesco’s and that proved a baron place for a suitable card. I know you can order cards on-line and personalise them too but I am not that organised. And, as far as the present is concerned, I decided to use some of the small felted houses that I have been making and accumulating over the past few weeks. I like the idea of making a little wall hanging of houses for her birthday as a reminder that she spent it under house arrest! It just seems appropriate. Because it was small, it was simple to make and I am pleased to report that it was very well received!

 

Felted houses wall hanging

It required very little, just a piece of fabric, a thin strip of wadding, 5 house blocks and a hanger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requirements

 

I folded the fabric in half, RS together, placed it on top of the wadding and sewed round three edges. I left the top edge (where there is no wadding) open for turning through. I also shaped the bottom edges by angling the stitches across the corner and re-enforcing them.

 

             Preparation

 

             Sewing

 

           Shaped corners

 

 

               Ready to turn

 

 

Once I had turned it through I wrapped the un-wadded edge around the wooden baton and caught it down by hand.

 

                Adding the hanger

 

 

The little houses were positioned on top and caught at the corners. It measured 15” x 3” when finished.

 

 

                Completed mini hanger

 

The birthday card was a variation of one that I had seen on-line. The birthday girl has a Labrador called Crumble. She is a really happy dog who barks a running commentary to whatever is going on around her. This is my impression of what is going on inside her brain!

 

                 Birthday card

 

 And finally, with the prevailing hint that the Government is about to suggest that we wear a face mask when we go out, I decided it was time to make some. There are many tutorials on line and they are simple to construct. I used Batik fabric because it is tightly woven. I made one mask each that was just 2 layers of fabric and another each that had an extra lining layer. Job done!

 

              His/hers face masks